Black Lightning Just Did One Thing Superhero Shows Rarely Do

This interview contains spoilers for the Black Lightning Season 2 premiere, titled “The Book of Consequences: Chapter One: Rise of the Green Light Babies.” A full review will be posted later tonight.

In countless comic book movies and TV shows, cops who are tight with a superhero are usually the last to figure out their identity (unless it’s purposefully revealed to them), despite the fact that they’re supposed to follow clues and solve mysteries for a living.

The Black Lightning Season 2 premiere dismantled that trope pretty quickly, with Jefferson’s long-suffering friend and neighbor, Bill Henderson, finally figuring out Jefferson Pierce’s secret and confronting him over his deception. It’s a heartbreaking moment, seeing the trust between the two men shatter after decades of friendship, and star Cress Williams tells IGN it’ll be a long road back for Jeff and Bill – if their bond can be repaired at all.

“It’s gonna put a huge strain on their relationship that is gonna take time to work through because this doesn’t happen in a bubble where they can put a pause on all the other things that are going on and say ‘let’s sit down and talk,'” Williams says. “All the other things are going on for Jefferson with the school, with his family, with crime-fighting in general; with Henderson there’s all the things going on with Freeland and his new job, and so it’s gonna take a long time for that to work through. They work together in a professional capacity, but it’s gonna take a while before they know, do they even have a friendship? It’s hard to say at this point.”

Exit Theatre Mode

Jefferson hasn’t only lost a friend – he’s also lost his job as Principal of Garfield High following the Season 2 premiere, leaving him adrift professionally. “From an acting standpoint it’s a lot of fun, it’s conflict, it’s struggle, it’s a wrinkle, it’s the stuff we love to play,” Williams says. “From Jefferson’s standpoint, it’s the idea that, as we start Season 2 he’s like, ‘okay, now we get up, dust off and we go back to work,’ only to find, well, no, you’ve got all these things that you’ve got to deal with. And it’s an absolute struggle. The first part of the season I think is Jefferson trying to pretend like everything’s fine as everything starts to fall apart around him.”

That will also manifest in his relationship with his eldest daughter, Anissa, who is using her powers as Thunder to act like a modern-day Robin Hood, stealing from thugs to provide for Freeland’s poor – something that her father undoubtedly wouldn’t approve of. “It’s gonna come to light and eventually it’s that playing out of, she’s an adult, but she’s doing something he’s very much against and can also see it being problematic,” Williams points out. “So it’s gonna put a strain on their relationship for sure, and create problems both in and out of the suit.”

Younger daughter Jennifer, meanwhile, will have a “big journey” of her own in Season 2, according to Williams: “Jennifer – unlike Jefferson and also unlike Anissa – has powers that she can’t really control and she’s not necessarily embracing them or wanting to have them, but there’s also the pitfall that she can’t control them and that ripple effect is gonna take us on a wild journey as a family and as individuals, and even right now, we’re in the middle of shooting episode 7 and it’s still something that’s carrying through and not resolved right away.”

Between Anissa’s extracurricular activities, Jennifer’s burgeoning powers, the Green Light-enhanced pod children, and the survival of Tobias Whale, Jefferson has plenty to juggle in the sophomore season of The CW series – and it’s just getting started.

Black Lightning airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on The CW. For more from The CW’s superhero shows, check out our Season 5 premiere review of The Flash and the first look at Ruby Rose as Batwoman.